1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a low noise block down-converter with integrated feed (LNBF), and more particularly, to an LNBF capable of realizing a miniaturized design.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Satellite communication technology has advantages of wide coverage area and long distance linking, and is applied in many domains, such as in satellite broadcasting or communication systems. Thus, wherever you are (even on the ocean or in the desert), a satellite signal may be received by a corresponding antenna. A low noise block down-converter with integrated feed (LNBF) is an essential component for receiving the satellite signal. In general, the LNBF can down-convert and amplify the received satellite signal, and further transmit the processed satellite signal to a satellite receiver box via coaxial cable for further processing.
Please refer to FIG. 1, which is an exploded diagram of an LNBF 10 according to the prior art. The LNBF 10 includes a housing 102, a down-converter circuit board 104, a spacer 106, and an F-connector 108. The down-converter circuit board 104 is electrically connected to the F-connector 108 so that the down-converter circuit board 104 can be connected to a coaxial cable via the F-connector 108 for transmitting satellite signals to a satellite receiver. As shown in FIG. 1, the down-converter circuit board 104 is disposed on a first side of the housing 102, and the spacer 106 is disposed on the down-converter circuit board 104. Generally, the housing 102, the down-converter circuit board 104, and the spacer 106 can be assembled together in a lockup fastening manner, and the F-connector 108 can be fastened to a second side of the housing 102 . Moreover, in the assembly process, the down-converter circuit board 104 can be fixed on the housing 102 in advance and furthermore, the spacer 106 can also be fixed on the housing 102. Finally, the F-connector 108 can be fixed on the second side of the housing 102. In other words, the relationship of the components of the LNBF 10 (i.e. the component order) is as follows: the spacer 106, the down-converter circuit board 104, the housing 102, and the F-connector 108.
Regarding trends of miniaturization and lower cost of electronic products, product manufacturers try their best to minimize product size during product design. For example, during product design, layout area of a down-conversion circuit can be shrunk by using specific circuit layout techniques and then, board area of the down-converter circuit board 104 is reduced accordingly to achieve miniaturization and lower cost. However, in the LNBF 10, even though the board size of the down-converter circuit board 104 can be reduced through the circuit layout techniques, size of the housing 102 cannot be minimized due to overall component completeness. Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a side-view diagram of the LNBF 10 according to the prior art. In an area A in FIG. 2, it is necessary to reserve a space between the surrounding structure of the housing 102 and the F-connector 108 for convenient assembly so that assembly interference caused by the housing 102 will not occur when the coaxial cable is assembled with the F-connector 108. In such a situation, even if the board size of the down-converter circuit board 104 can be reduced through the circuit layout techniques, the size of the housing 102 cannot be minimized due to the above-mentioned structure. In short, how to reduce the size of the LNBF 10 without causing any assembly interference should be a concern in improving application design.